Flag row: Gilani accepts Pakistani chef de mission's apology

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 12:17 PM

Islamabad, Oct 8 (IANS) Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has accepted the unconditional apology tendered by chief of the Pakistani contingent at the Commonwealth Games over his decision to carry the national flag instead of giving it to a weightlifter at the inaugural ceremony.

Dawn quoted sources as saying that while accepting the apology, the prime minister directed the sports ministry to take measures to avoid such incidents in future.

Weightlifter Shujauddin Malik was reportedly supposed to carry the flag and lead the national contingent into the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium Oct 3. But at the last moment, chef de mission Muhammad Ali Shah decided to carry it.

Weightlifting team members felt slighted and they insisted that the national flag must be carried by Malik. This led to a verbal altercation between the weightlifters and Shah.

Malik had won the only gold medal for Pakistan at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

According to the inquiry ordered by Gilani, Shah said he did not know Malik was to carry the national flag.

A meeting was held in New Delhi after the ceremony in the presence of Pakistan Olympic Association president Arif Hasan. During the meeting, Shah apologised to Malik.

Source: Web Search

Indian archers win gold in women recurve

Fri, Oct 08 10 11:43 AM

New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) The troika of Deepika Kumari, Dola Banerjee and Bombayala Devi Laishram continued India''s gold rush winning the yellow metal in the women''s recurve event of the Commonwealth Games here today. The women recurve team defeated England 207-206 in a thrilling final at the Yamuna Sport Complex here as India''s gold medal tally swelled to 15. Earlier in the morning, India women team beat Malaysia 213-185 in the semifinals. Yesterday, the Indian compound archers had claimed a silver and a bronze in the men''s and women''s team events respectively.

Source: Published>

Indians off to poor start at Alfred Dunhill Links C''ship

Fri, Oct 08 10 11:23 AM

Fife (Scotland), Oct 8 (PTI) Indian golfers were off to a poor start at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with Shiv Kapur''s two-over 74, which fetched him the tied 130th spot, being the best among the four in fray here. Kapur''s card was marred by three bogeys and a quadruple bogey against four birdies. A stroke adrift of Kapur was Gaganjeet Bhullar, who occupied the tied 141st position after rollercoaster day. Bhullar stumbled to seven bogeys and a double bogey against three birdies and an eagle, which came on the 14th hole. Jyoti Randhawa was tied 156th after fetching two double bogey, three bogeys against a couple of birdies in his five-over 77 in the opening round. Randhawa shared the position with C Muniyappa and SSP Chowrasia. At the top of the heap, the quartet of Maarten Lafeber, Ricardo Gonzalez, Thomas Bjorn and Martin Laird shared the lead with identical 66s.

Source: Published>

Singapore coach apologises after disqualification blunder

Fri, Oct 08 10 10:57 AM

Singapore's swimming coach Ang Peng Siong apologised to his devastated team after failing to register them on time, resulting in their disqualification from the Commonwealth Games 4x200m freestyle relay.

Source: Published>

Race for second spot will be hot on Day 5

Fri, Oct 08 10 10:27 AM

New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) The race for grabbing the immediate spot behind Australia is expected to become hotter as the Commonwealth Games moves into its fifth day of competitions today. With Australia seemingly having taken an unassailable lead with 32 golds in their kitty, the race for finishing No. 2 in the Games has narrowed down to a three-horse race between second-placed India, No.3 England and No. 4 Canada. While India, dominating the shooting range and also doing well in disciplines like wrestling and weightlifting, had 14 gold going into the day''s events, England were two behind the hosts while Canada were one gold further adrift. India would once again depend on their shooters, who provided 50 per cent of their gold medals in the first four days, to help them stay ahead of England and Canada. In tennis, Somdev Devvarman and Sania Mirza would aim to reach the finals of the men''s and women''s singles events. Somdev and Rohan Bopanna are also set to play the men''s doubles semi finals along with the "Indian Express" duo Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi while Nirupama Sanjeev and Pooja Venkatesha would be striving to make the women''s doubles final. In table tennis, the Indian women are up against Singapore in the tie for the gold medal and the men are up against England for a spot in the final. Preliminary rounds of the individual events are to commence. In badminton India are up against Malaysia in the mixed team final to settle the gold and silver medals. The men''s and women''s recurve team would also be in the race for medals and the members of the strong boxing squad would look to advance further in their endeavour to attain medal standard.

Source: Published>

Red Bull on the pace in Japan, Hamilton crashes

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 09:37 AM

Formula One championship leaders Red Bull dominated first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday while fired-up title contender Lewis Hamilton crashed his McLaren early in the session.

Germany's Sebastian Vettel, last year's winner at the Honda-owned circuit, lapped with a fastest time of one minute 32.585 seconds on a dry track with the sun shining through morning cloud.

His Australian team mate Mark Webber, the championship leader who is 11 points clear of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with four races remaining including Sunday's, was second and 0.048 slower.

Renault's Robert Kubica was the best of the rest, more than half a second slower than Vettel as Red Bull's rivals saw their fears realised.

"This weekend for me, the Red Bulls will be a good half a second in front of people," Williams' experienced Brazilian Rubens Barrichello had told reporters on Thursday.

McLaren, vowing to throw everything 'including the kitchen sink' at their car in an all-out bid to overtake Red Bull, showed some signs of improvement with Hamilton on the pace before crashing at Degner.

The McLaren went wide through the double right-hander, skipped over the gravel and side-swiped the tyre wall before coming to a halt under the bridge with the front left wheel hanging limply.

Hamilton stepped out, shaking his head but keeping his yellow helmet on to hide his undoubted fury at having to sit out the remaining 45 minutes.

The 2008 champion, who had spoken earlier about his determination to be as aggressive as ever at the sweeping figure of eight circuit, then returned to the paddock and avoided reporters.

The Briton had arrived in Japan with plenty of new bits on his car and determined to end a dismal run of three retirements in four races that saw him plunge from overall leader to third and 20 points adrift of Webber.

He could at least take heart from being briefly fastest before the crash, with what was still the fifth best time at the end of the session.

British team mate and reigning champion Jenson Button, mobbed by fans on his arrival at the circuit on Thursday hand-in-hand with Japanese lingerie model girlfriend Jessica Michibata, was 12th fastest.

He also went wide at Degner but avoided Hamilton's fate. That was still quicker than Alonso, the double world champion who has won the last two races.

The Spaniard was 13th on the timing screens, two places behind Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa.

Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher, suffering in the Mercedes in his comeback season, was a morale-boosting eighth at one of his favourite circuits with team mate and fellow-German Nico Rosberg 10th.

Source: Web Search

Ex-Sevilla coach Jimenez agrees to lead AEK Athens

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 08:17 AM

Former Sevilla boss Manolo Jimenez will take over as coach of AEK Athens on a two-year deal, the Greek club said on Thursday.

The 46-year-old former Sevilla coach replaces Serbian Dusan Bajevic, who resigned on Sept. 27 to end his third spell in charge at the club following a string of poor results.

Jimenez moved up from coaching Sevilla's reserves to the first team in Oct. 2007 following the resignation of Juande Ramos. He was fired by Sevilla in March 2010.

Source: Web Search

Now Pataudi opts out of IPL GC

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 06:47 AM

A week after Sunil Gavaskar refused to be a part of re-constituted Indian Premier League Governing Council, former India captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi followed suit, adding to the list of former cricketers opting out of the cash rich league. During the 81st Annual General Body meeting held at the BCCI headquarters last month, the board had decided to amend their constitution to form a new GC, which will consist of five members including two former cricketers, who will work as non-paid honorary members.

Pataudi told The Indian Express that the new rule is unacceptable and that is why he has decided not to be part of Governing Council. "I have written a letter to the BCCI which states that I do not wish to continue with the Governing Council. Earlier I was on a contract with the IPL, but the new changes are unacceptable for me. So, I have decided to move on," informed Pataudi. During Lalit Modi's tenure as chairperson of IPL, the BCCI had paid Ravi Shastri, Gavaskar and Pataudi a sum of one crore each for their services. In the current system, only Shastri has opted to continue with the IPL. "This only proves that ex-cricketers are more interested in the money aspect of the game. They do not like to give something back to the game for free. We will be approaching a few cricketers, lets see who comes ," a BCCI official said.

Source: Web Search

Sizzling finish gives Rollins one-shot lead at McGladrey

Fri, Oct 08 10 05:17 AM

American John Rollins carded four birdies over his final five holes on his way to a bogey-free, seven-under-par 63 and a one-shot lead after the first round of the Fall Series McGladrey Classic at St. Simons Island, Georgia on Thursday.

Rollins was having a solid but unspectacular day on the Seaside Course until he produced a blistering finish, dropping four straight birdies from the 14th.

Playing the back nine first, David Toms had a chance to join Rollins atop the leaderboard but a bogey at the ninth left him with a 64, one shot off the pace alongside U.S. compatriot Troy Merritt.

Joe Durant, Michael Letzig and Rich Barcelo are all one shot further adrift after returning 65s.

U.S. Ryder Cup team mates Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar were back in action with mixed results.

Johnson, a resident of nearby Sea Island, appeared to be suffering a Ryder Cup hangover, battling to an even par 70 while Kuchar moved into contention with a three-under 67.

Source: Published>

Former Sevilla coach Jimenez agrees to lead AEK Athens

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 04:37 AM

Former Sevilla boss Manolo Jimenez will take over as coach of AEK Athens on a two-year deal, the Greek club said on Monday.

The 46-year-old former Sevilla coach replaces Serbian Dusan Bajevic, who resigned on Sept. 27 to end his third spell in charge at the club following a string of poor results.

Jimenez moved up from coaching Sevilla's reserves to the first team in Oct. 2007 following the resignation of Juande Ramos. He was fired by Sevilla in March 2010.

Source: Web Search

Record-breaking Scottish bowler hints at home send-off

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 04:17 AM

Willie Wood is pushing for a fifth Commonwealth Games medal to cap his record eighth appearance but even if the 72-year-old lawn bowler misses out this time he has not ruled out a tilt at home glory in 2014.

Wood produced a game-winning shot to secure victory for his Scotland triples team against Australia on Thursday, proving his place in New Delhi, 36 years on from his first Games appearance in Christchurch, has nothing to do with sentiment.

Officials, volunteers and other competitors were the only witnesses earlier on Thursday when Wood and his team mates were losing to New Zealand on rink 20 outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium but it could all be very different at the next Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The silver-haired Scot would be guaranteed a more suitable reception for his efforts there and judging by his wry smile the idea clearly appeals to him, even if he remains doubtful about making it.

"This is probably my last Commonwealth Games... well, probably it is," Wood told Reuters, refusing to close the door.

"I'll be 76, well we'll see how things go in the next couple of years."

The slender Wood does not look his age. With a full head of silver hair, he jogged along the lawn and scribbled notes throughout the contest and showed childlike embarrassment when asked about his Games record.

"Just the same," he said looking away. "The emotions don't change. Like always I just want to win."

Wood boasts four Games medals, including two golds, and is looking for more after his game-winning shot against Australia in Thursday's night session.

"Elated," Wood told reporters after his decisive intervention. "You can wait years to get a shot like that."

Source: Web Search

Pato on target as new-look Brazil beat Iran

Fri, Oct 08 10 02:17 AM

Alexandre Pato scored again to help a new-look and more adventurous Brazil beat Iran 3-0 on Thursday in their second win in two internationals under new coach Mano Menezes.

Daniel Alves, one of only five members of the World Cup squad who played on Thursday, opened the scoring in Brazil's second game since their World Cup failure.

Pato got the second midway through the second half and Nilmar added the third in stoppage time.

Menezes replaced Dunga following Brazil's quarter-final exit at the World Cup and has already shown his intention to replace his predecessor's pragmatic and unpopular counter-attacking game with a more free-flowing style.

In their first outing under Menezes in August, Brazil produced an entertaining 2-0 win over the United States with Pato scoring his first international goal for two years.

Brazil, who gave a debut to 18-year-old Philippe Coutinho, had a lucky escape at the start when Iran forward Mohammad Gholami had the ball in their net only to see his effort disallowed for offside.

Having survived that, the 2014 World Cup hosts went ahead with an Alves free kick that went in off a post in the 14th minute.

Brazil took control and should have increased their lead when captain Robinho's shot hit the crossbar and Pato fired over from the rebound when it looked easier to score.

Brazil, whose next outing is against Ukraine in England on Monday, gave debuts to defender Rever and midfielders Wesley, Elias and Giuliano as Menezes shuffled his team at halftime.

But they nearly conceded an equaliser when Javad Nekounam struck the post just after the break.

Pato was guilty of more misses as Brazil regained control but the AC Milan player finally hit the target in the 69th minute after latching on to an Elias pass.

Substitute Nilmar completed the scoring when he turned in a cross by Andre Santos.

Source: Published>

Managers sending out players too pumped up, says Murphy

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 01:57 AM

Premier League managers must take more responsibility for "ridiculous" tackles, Fulham's Danny Murphy said on Thursday.

"A manager dictates what his players do and how they behave," the 33-year-old former England and Liverpool midfielder told the Leaders in Football Conference.

"If you have a manager who is in control of his team and doesn't allow these types of things to go on you get a lot more disciplined team. I'm not saying tackling is a bad thing but we want to watch the best players on the football pitch.

"Stoke, Blackburn, Wolves, they can say it's competitive and we've got to win games but the fact is the manager is sending out the players so pumped up that inevitably there are going to be problems," added Murphy.

Dangerous tackling has occupied the media spotlight this week after Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong was dropped by the Dutch national team for a tackle that left Newcastle United's Hatem Ben Arfa with a broken leg on Sunday.

Last weekend also saw Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Karl Henry sent off for a wild lunge.

Earlier on Thursday, FIFA executive committee member Michel D'Hooghe called on world soccer's governing body to send a message and make clear "brutal" tackles must be eradicated.

Murphy said more sense was needed on the pitch and persistent offenders should be held to account.

"The pace with which some people are going into tackles is ridiculous, there's no brains involved in the players who are doing that," he said.

"I don't believe players go out to break somebody's leg but there has to be some logic and intelligence involved."

Source: Web Search

Adlington owes Commonwealth gold to pasta and pizza

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 01:37 AM

World record-holder Rebecca Adlington credited pasta and pizza for her return to form with a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games women's 800 metres freestyle on Thursday.

It was the Briton's first major victory in the discipline since she won the Olympic title in Beijing two years ago.

"(I) just decided to keep it nice and smooth. It was not about time at all, it was about racing," the beaming 21-year-old told reporters.

"It's a long season, so nice to finish off with a gold medal," said Adlington whose only other major achievement of the year was the 400 metres gold she won in the European Championships.

Adlington also won bronze medals in 200 metres freestyle event and the 4x200 metres freestyle relay.

Adlington said she had been careful about her choice of food in Delhi to try to avoid the stomach problems which have affected some of her team mates.

"I have had pasta and a bit of pizza. The chicken, that is the only thing not to eat in the village but everything else, if you have Delhi Belly you have Delhi Belly no matter what you eat..." she said.

"Obviously some people have come down really, really bad but I have not had blemishes, thank God...no food poisoning or anything like that. It has been absolutely fine for me," she said.

Adlington cruised to victory ahead of South African Wendy Trott but her time was around 10 seconds outside her world record.

Source: Web Search

Australian Sally Pearson stripped of 100m gold in CWG

Fri, Oct 08 10 01:27 AM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Australian sprinter Sally Pearson was today stripped of her gold medal after England protested that she had a false start in a controversial women''s 100m dash in the Commonwealth Games here today. Pearson won the controversial race in 11.28 seconds, the third slowest in Commonwealth Games history. English runner Laura Turner was shown the red card by the race officials for a false start but Pearson also appeared to jump the gun and she was seen as putting her hands over her face in despair. Turner and Pearson were bizarrely allowed to run and the former finished last and was later officially disqualified. Later, England lodged an official complaint and the jury of appeal took more than three hours to rule that Pearson also had a false start. She was stripped of her medal and Osayemi Oludamola from Nigeria, who clocked 11.32 seconds, was declared the winner. Natasha Mayers of St Vincent and Grenedians, who originally ended third with 11.37 seconds, won the silver while the bronze went to Katherine Endacott of England, who completed in 11.44 seconds. With the disqualification of Pearson, Osayemi''s 11.32 seconds gold-winning time will be the slowest in Commonwealth Games history.

Source: Published>

Montgomerie blown away by reaction to Ryder Cup win

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 01:17 AM

Victorious European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie was overwhelmed with the reception he received in the Dunhill Links Championship first round on Thursday.

Montgomerie shot a level-par 72 at Kingsbarns, one of three courses being used this week, to lie six strokes behind joint leaders Thomas Bjorn of Denmark, Argentine Ricardo Gonzalez, fellow Briton Martin Laird and Dutchman Maarten Lafeber.

"The reaction has been fantastic," the Ryder Cup skipper told reporters after mixing three birdies with three bogeys in his native Scotland.

"Everybody that's part of European golf was thrilled with what happened at Celtic Manor last week. It was a big, big win," said Montgomerie after being partnered by his amateur brother Douglas in the pro-am event.

"The people that followed our group around today were just fantastic. People seem to be more interested in the game of golf now and that's part of our success I suppose.

"That win will bring more people into the game and ... hopefully more kids will start taking up the game, particularly after seeing that dramatic finale," he added referring to Europe's 14-1/2 - 13-1/2 win over United States.

Montgomerie's own game has taken a back seat since he was appointed captain in February 2009 but he is looking forward to kick-starting his career all over again.

"Now I'm just trying to make cuts in tournaments, enjoy myself and then start next year completely afresh, fit mentally, physically ... raring to go for a season ahead," said the eight-times European number one.

"I'm looking forward to the Abu Dhabi Championship as it will be the first time I play in early January. I'm looking forward to getting into contention and to competing in these tournaments (to chase) my first win in two-and-a-half years."

Source: Web Search

Oludamola wins 100m after Pearson disqualified

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 12:57 AM

Nigerian Osayemi Oludamola won the women's 100 metres at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday after Australia's Sally Pearson was disqualified for a false start three hours after crossing the line in first place.

Pearson completed a victory lap after finishing first in 11.28 seconds only for an appeal by Team England to lead to her disqualification.

Australia's attempt to overturn the decision was unsuccessful.

"The most disappointing part is that I was told I was clear -- I did my victory lap with the flag," a sobbing Pearson said.

"I was walking out to the medal ceremony and then I was called back. That's not right."

England appealed the result after their athlete Laura Turner was disqualified for the same offence. Despite the decision Turner was allowed to race under protest but her result did not stand.

Pearson's disqualification meant Turner's team mate Katherine Endacott was promoted from fourth to the bronze medal position with Natasha Mayers awarded the silver, giving Saint Vincent and the Grenadines their first athletics medal.

Source: Web Search

Oludamola wins 100m after Pearson loses appeal

Published>Fri, Oct 08 10 12:19 AM

Nigerian Osayemi Oludamola was declared the winner of the Commonwealth Games women's 100 metres on Thursday after Australia lost an appeal to have Sally Pearson's disqualification overturned.

Pearson crossed the line in 11.28 seconds, ahead of the Nigerian, but was disqualified for a false start three hours after the race following an appeal by Team England.

England appealed the result after their athlete Laura Turner was disqualified for the same offence. Despite the decision Turner was allowed to race under protest but her result did not stand.

Pearson's disqualification meant Turner's team mate Katherine Endacott was promoted from fourth to the bronze medal position with Natasha Mayers awarded the silver and giving Saint Vincent and the Grenadines their first athletics medal.

Source: Web Search

Congress downplays Omar Abdullah's remarks

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 11:57 PM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) The Congress Thursday sought to downplay the remarks of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah about his government not being a puppet and the state's accession not being a merger, saying that no party should do anything that impedes betterment of the situation in the state.

Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said he did not know in what context Abdullah had made the statement.

He said the all-party delegation to Kashmir had a very good impact on the ground situation and no party should make any remarks which can impede the process of return to normalcy.

Another party leader Digvijay Singh said there was nothing wrong in Abdullah saying that he was not a puppet.

'What should he say? Should he say he is a puppet? After all he is an elected chief minister of a state,' Singh said.

Singh said in a federal system, the chief minister has his own views.

The chief minister reportedly told the state assembly Wednesday that the state had acceded to India and not merged with it as some of the other princely states of the country, triggering protests from the BJP.

Source: Web Search

CWG Schedule, Day Five

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 11:47 PM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Following is the schedule of Commonwealth Games events Friday.

Forty three gold medals, including one in para sports, will be decided Friday on the fifth day of the competition - Athletics (6), Archery (2), Swimming (11), Badminton (1), Cycling (3), Gymnastics Artistic (5), Shooting (5), Squash (2), Table Tennis (2), Weightlifting (2), Wrestling (3)

Archery: Yamuna Sports Complex

Men: Recurve Team Bronze, Recurve Team Finals

Women: Recurve Team Bronze, Recurve Team Finals

Athletics: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Men: 110 metre Hurdle, Hammer Throw

Women: Triple Jump, 400m, 1500m, 10000m

Badminton: Siri Fort Sports Complex

Bronze medal match: Singapore vs England

Gold medal match: India vs Malaysia

Boxing: Talkatora Indoor Stadium

Pre Qualifiers: Men: Flyweight (52kg), Lightweight (60kg), Welterweight (69kg), Light Heavyweight

Source: Web Search

CWG weightlifting: Sudhir wins bronze for India

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 11:46 PM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Weightlifter Sudhir Kumar Thursday won a bronze medal for India in the 77 kg weight category. He lifted a total weight of 297 kg.

Gold was won by Nauru's Yukio Peter, who lifted 333 kg. This was the first gold medal of this island country in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The silver went to Ben Turner of Australia, who carried 308 kg.

Source: Web Search

CWG Gymnastics: Ashish bags bronze, creates history

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 11:28 PM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Ashish Kumar created history by bagging the first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in gymnastics, a bronze, for India here Thursday.

The 19-year-old from Allahabad scored 14.475 in the floor exercise final. Australia's Thomas Pichler won gold with a score of 14.675 while Englishman Reiss Beckford claimed silver notching up 14.625 at the Indira Gandhi sports complex.

'I was nervous performing in the final. I am glad to win the first medal for India and I am sure there will be more in future,' Ashish said.

Indian coach Vladimir Chertkhov said he was confident India will break the medal jinx in gymnastics this time around. 'During the World Championships I had said Indian gymnastics were on rise. Ashish proved me right today,' Chertkhov said.

Dipa Karmakar, competing in the women's vault final, finished seventh with a score of 12.687. England's Imogen Cairns, Jennifer Khwela of South Africa and Gabby May of Canada claimed the top three positions.

Source: Web Search

Confused PCB still in two minds over captaincy issue

Thu, Oct 07 10 11:22 PM

Karachi, Oct 7 (PTI) The Pakistan Cricket Board appears to be caught up in another self-created problem with indications that it is finding it difficult to find someone to lead the team in the coming series against South Africa in the UAE. The failure of the board to announce the captain for the first leg of the series that includes one-day and T20 matches despite including Shahid Afridi in the squad means it remains uncertain over the captaincy issue. "There is some confusion over the captaincy issue because logically Afridi should have been named captain for the limited over series as he has led the team satisfactorily in the limited over matches this year," a source in the board said. He also pointed out that the board had indicated earlier while appointing Afridi as captain that he would continue till the 2011 World Cup. "The failure to name the captain for the ODI and T20 series means there is confusion over the captaincy issue because of several reasons one of them the expected return of Younis Khan to the Test side and secondly the possibility of Salman Butt being available for selection after his ICC hearing on October 30th and 31st in Doha," the source said. "There has been some contact between Younis Khan and the board in recent days and now the Chairman, Ijaz Butt is contemplating bringing back Younis as captain for the South Africa series as Test captain," another source added. He explained that Butt wanted a way out if matters didn''t work out with Younis or if the former captain himself preferred to return to the team as just a player and not captain. "The other options available for Butt is then to appoint Afridi as test and one-day captain at the same time," the source said. He said this was also a difficult task for the board since Afridi had indicated that he was happy just leading the team in the limited over matches and didn''t want to be part of the Test team even as a player. Afridi had suddenly announced his decision to retire from Test cricket and leave the captaincy after Pakistan lost the first test to Australia in England in July. Afridi''s sudden decision led to the appointment of Salman Butt as Test captain but he is now under suspension from the International Cricket Council for his alleged role in the spot fixing scandal. "The board is also waiting to see how the appeals hearing of the three suspended players including Aamir and Asif goes in Doha," the source said. "The PCB has not given up on the option of Butt being cleared by the ICC and having his suspension removed after the hearing. If that happens then Butt would be available for the Tests against South Africa that would be played after the one-day and T20 series," PTI Corr SHN

Source: Published>

CWG tennis: Paes-Sania crash out, Somdev advances

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 11:17 PM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Second seeds Leander Paes and Sania Mirza crashed out of the mixed doubles quarterfinals in the biggest upset of the Commonwealth Games tennis competition here Thursday. However, it was a happy day for India in the singles with both Somdev Devvarman and Sania romping into the semifinals with straight set victories.

Rushmi Chakravarthi, who had created a flutter a day before with a sensational win over third seed Katie O' Brien of England, could not repeat her good performance and went down 5-7, 4-6 to sixth seeded Australian Olivia Rogowska.

However, it was a successful outing for India in men's doubles with Somdev and Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi moving into the semi-finals.

In women's doubles, Poojashree Venkatesha and Nirupama Sanjeev shocked second seeds Sarah Borwell and Anna Smith 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semifinals where they now square up against Australian Jessica Moore and Rogowska.

Somdev and Bopanna beat Australian Matt Ebden and Greg Jones 7-6 (5), 6-4 to set up a semifinal clash with third seeds Ross Hutchins and Ken Skupski. Paes and Bhupathi were stretched by England's Josh Godall and James Ward, before the Indians prevailed 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4). They will next meet fourth seeds Australian Peter Luczak and Paul Hanle.

In singles, men's top seed Somdev doused a spirited effort from sixth-seeded Rubin Statham of New Zealand 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 41 minutes while women's second seed Sania disposed off another New Zealander, Maria Erakovic, seeded eighth, 6-2, 6-3.

A lot was expected from Paes and Sania, who won gold at the 2006 Doha Asia Games and a packed stadium did everything to spur them on. But the gruelling schedule of playing two matches in a day took a toll on the Indians, who were playing together after four years and lost to Scotland's Colin Fleming and Jocelyn Rae 5-7, 4-6.

'It was a tough ask, playing two matches in a day. But in professional tennis you have to live up to these demands. I was a bit tired but our opponents also played quite well,' said Paes, who had finished his match with Bhupathi barely an hour before the start of the mixed doubles.

In singles, it was again a wobbly start for Somdev. The world's 97th-ranked Indian's serve somewhat troubled him in the first set, which saw the two players sharing five breaks of serves. Statham, ranked 353, on the other hand, looked dangerous with his powerful forehand but perished in his attempt to go for quick winners.

Somdev had earlier beaten Statham in straight sets in the qualifiers in the $50,000 Lexington enroute his maiden Challenger title.

'I am happy to be in the semi-finals. The court is a bit slow, but I am feeling really fit, thanks to my coaches,' said Somdev, who next plays third seeded Australian Ebden.

'I have never played him (Ebden) before. But he is a very good player and I will have to play well against him, I can't afford to give him too many chances.'

Sania looked in a hurry to wrap up her match against an off-colour Erakovic, once a top-50 player. The Indian was in her element as she smashed powerful groundstrokes and even sent down three aces during a nearly hour-long tie.

Sania next plays Rogowska.

Source: Web Search

India thrash England 3-0, assure themselves of silver

Thu, Oct 07 10 11:08 PM

Amit Kumar Das New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) P Kashyap pulled off an incredible win over higher-ranked Rajiv Ouseph as India avenged a four-year-old semifinal loss to England, thrashing the visitors 3-0 to assure themselves of a silver in the team badminton event of the Commonwealth Games here today. World number 32 Kashyap, who was chosen to play the men''s singles over 17th ranked Chetan at the eleventh hour, rose to the occasion and notched up a thrilling straight-game win over 16th ranked Ouseph to help India set up a summit clash with Malaysia here tomorrow. The mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju gave India a 1-0 lead with a brilliant 21-17 21-17 win over Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork in the first tie to set the ball rolling before Kashyap thrashed Ouseph 21-13 21-17 to extend India''s lead. A fit Kashyap played a strategic game against Ouseph as he engaged in long rallies to tire out his opponent before going for the kill and ensure India a place in the final for only the second time in the Games'' history since the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games. World No. 3 Saina Nehwal then sent Liz Cann packing 21-18 21-11 as India completed a 3-0 spanking of the English team, who had beaten the hosts 3-2 in the last edition at Melbourne in 2006. "It was a huge responsibility for me to be choosen ahead of Chetan because I felt he was better because he beat him twice before and he is after all the Melbourne bronze medallist. But my team-mates thought I should play. Chetan was also ok with it and I am happy I won the match," Kashyap said. "I played slow rallies initially before going for attacking shots in the second game. The strategy worked as he got tired and started making mistakes. He has a very good defense and net play. His half smashes are also sharp but I was confident of my fitness," he added. Saina said she was ecstatic about India reaching the finals. "We had won a bronze last time but lost to England so we were a little nervous in the beginning. But it was a good team effort and I am very happy. Jwala-Diju started it well and Kashyap was brilliant. I was also confident of winning my match," Saina said. .

Source: Published>

CWG Badminton: India in mixed team event final

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 10:57 PM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) India pulled off a splendid 3-0 victory over England to set up a clash with top seed Malaysia in the final of the badminton mixed team event at the Commonwealth Games here Thursday.

Egged on by a packed stadium, India avenged the 2-3 loss to England at the same stage in the Melbourne Games four years ago.

Malaysia, boasting of World No.1 Lee Chong Wei on their side, were given a tough fight by Singapore, before prevailing 3-1 in the other semi-final.

The Indian team were given the right start by mixed doubles pair Jwala Gutta and V.Diju who defeated Nathan Robertson and Jeny Wallwork 21-17, 21-15.

Parupalli Kashyap then upset Rajiv Ouseph 21-13, 21-17 in 41 minutes.

Saina Nehwal clinched the issue with a 21-18, 21-11 win over Liz Cann.

'It is a big result for us. Last time we lost to England in a close tie. Though they had a very successful mixed doubles team in Nathan and Gail Emms. Nathan has a new partner now, but the mixed doubles victory was an important one,' said Saina.

'The final is going to be a tough tie, but we will give our best shot,' said World No.3 Saina.

Indian coach Pullela Gopichand's ploy of putting Kashyap up in place of India's top men's player Chetan Anand turned out to be a smart decision.

Anand was not in his best shape as he was stretched by Canada's David Snider in the singles match in the quarter-finals in the morning.

The hosts, however, won 3-0.

'Chetan was a bit slow in the morning. It was a team decision to play Kashyap in this tie. We had to take into account Chetan's experience also, so it was tough,' Gopichand said.

Kashyap admitted that he was under pressure to perform after being told that he will play the all-important singles match.

'I was under pressure and Gopichand sir was also under pressure after putting me up for the singles match. I wanted to prove a point that even I can beat him. Most of my team members were confident,' Kashyap said.

'My strategy was to tire him out by playing rallies. I started slow. I never lost focus in the entire match. I always play better when the crowd is behind me,' he said.

It was Diju and Jwala who worked magic upfront against doubles specialist Robertson, the Athens Olympic silver medallist and defending champion in mixed doubles, and Jeny with their crisp service.

'This was the first time that we beat Nathan in mixed doubles, though he is playing with a new partner. We served really well and that proved to be the difference between both the pairs. Everything worked according to our strategy,' said Diju.

Source: Web Search

Indian shuttlers can''t be taken lightly: Muhammad Hafiz

Thu, Oct 07 10 10:51 PM

Amit Kumar Das New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Malaysia are the defending champions in the mixed team event of the Commonwealth Games but the country''s ace shuttler Muhammad Hafiz said India cannot be taken lightly in tomorrow''s final as they have improved by leaps and bounds in the recent past. "The Indian players like Chetan (Anand) and (Parupalli) Kashyap have the advantage of playing at home and they would want to prove their worth. They can''t be taken for granted, they have improved a lot in the last few years. It would be a good challenge," Hafiz told PTI. "It is a 50-50 chance. On papers, we may have assured two points in men''s singles and men''s doubles but we would still need one point, so we cannot take India for granted," he said. Asked about his hopes in the individual men''s singles event, Hafiz said he would like face his teammate Lee Chong Wei in the men''s singles final. "Lee is of course the top seed and favourite but I am hoping to face the Indians in the semifinals. It would be good challenge but facing Lee in the finals would be ideal," Hafiz said. Hafiz said a good performance here will set the tone for a successful Asian Games. "After Commonwealth Games we will have a one week break and after that we will prepare for the Asian Games. It is very important and we will be skipping a few tournaments for the Asiad. I am looking for a good performance here," he said. PTI ATK SSC

Source: Published>

Iqbal makes a comeback as Pak ''A'' team captain for WI tour

Thu, Oct 07 10 10:38 PM

Lahore, Oct 7 (PTI) Pakistan selectors have named a strong A side for series against the West Indies next month, recalling batsman Faisal Iqbal as captain. Faisal, who was Pakistan''s leading player on the senior team''s tour to New Zealand and Australia early this year, was surprisingly dumped by the selectors for the Twenty20 World Cup, Asia Cup and England tour. But the selectors have now recalled him as captain for the Caribbean tour beginning November 3 and also rewarding number of young players for their consistent performances in domestic cricket. Strangely the board has named a new look management for the Pakistan A side with former Test batsman, Ijaz Ahmed ignored for the coaching slot after being released as assistant coach of the national senior team after the England tour. The Pakistan A squad includes number of names that are yet to make a big impression on the domestic front but the selectors have balanced that out by including some tried and tested performers like Faisal, Khurrum Manzoor, wicketkeeper, Sarfraz Ahmed, Hammad Azam who have already represented the senior side. Pakistan A squad: Faisal Iqbal (Capt), Khurrum Manzoor, Abid Ali, Aamir Sajjad, Naved Yasin, Umair Khan, Hammad Azam, Yasir Shah, Sarfraz Ahmed, Zulfiqar Babar, Junaid Khan, Anwar Ali, Tabish Khan, M Rameez and Shan Masood. Team manager: Naved Akram Cheema Coach: Abdul Rehman.

Source: Published>

Indian eves beat England to enter final, men in semis

Thu, Oct 07 10 10:27 PM

Diganta Biswas New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Indian women paddlers today assured themselves of at least a silver medal by entering the summit stage while their men counterparts advanced to the semifinals of the table tennis competition in the Commonwealth Games here. Seeded fourth, the Indian women''s team breezed into the final by spanking third seed England 3-0, while Olympian Achanta Sharath Kamal led the men''s team to a 3-1 victory over South Africa at the Yamuna Sports Complex. By qualifying for the finals, the women''s team improved on its bronze-medal show in the last edition in Melbourne. Former national champion Kumaresan Shamini overcame some early resistance before beating Kelly Sibley 3-1 to give the hosts a winning start in front of a packed gallery, which cheered the home team''s every point. Bengal paddler Mouma Das and reigning national champion Poulomi Ghatak then came out with sizzling performances to beat Joanna Parker and Hannah Hicks, respectively, with an identical 3-0 scoreline. In the final tomorrow, the Indian women will take on top seed Singapore, who eased past Malaysia 3-0 in the other semifinal earlier today. "Our preparatory trips to China before the Delhi Games are paying dividends. We were confident, but did not expect to beat England so easily. We also got good support from the crowd," India''s foreign coach Massimo Constantini said after the match. "We now face the world champions in the final and are quite confident of giving them a good fight. Today''s win has boosted our confidence," the Italian added. In men''s category, second seed India started on a winning note after Sharath thrashed Theo Sydney Cogill 3-0. But in the second tie, Soumyadeep Roy squandered an early lead to go down 2-3 to Shane Overmeyer. However, A Amalraj registered a quick 3-0 win over Daniel Luke Abrahams to put the hosts back on track, before Sharath sealed the issue with a 3-1 win over Overmeyer. The defending champions will take on England in the final-four stage tomorrow. "Roy lost the second match but Amalraj played well to bring us back into the match. I was also a bit tensed in the first match but later found my rhythm," said Sharath, who has climbed one step to become world number 40 in the latest rating issued by International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). "England is a very balanced team and it will be quite competitive tomorrow. We should now wake up to handle some stiff competitions," the lanky Indian added.

Source: Published>

Gill expresses regret over injuries to Ugandan athletes at CWG Games Village

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 10:22 PM

New Delhi, Oct. 7 (ANI): Union Minister of Sports M S Gill has expressed deep regret over Tuesday's freak accident at the Commonwealth Games Village in which three Ugandan athletes were injured.

Gill conveyed the deep regrets on behalf of the Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee to Uganda's High Commissioner to India Nimish J. Madhvani.

Government sources said that Gill has extended an invitation to Uganda's Minister of State for Sports Charle Bakkabullindi and his family who are in Delhi to meet him at the Games Village on Friday.

Uganda's chef de mission William Tumwine, administrative officer Iren Matovu and press attache Juliet Achom were injured Tuesday night when a tyre killer malfunctioned at the village as they were entering the complex, police said.

While Matovu suffered severe eye injuries and required extensive facial stitching, Tumwine suffered a slight head injury. Acom had a whiplash.

Earlier, Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kuteesa had asked the CWG Organising Committee to apologize and even blamed it for ill treatment, but the latter refused to accept responsibility for the incident.

Security officials at the Games Village maintained it was a technical fault caused by the activation of the radio barrier. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)

Source: Web Search

CWG: 34 medal-winning India holds on second position on Day-4

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 10:17 PM

New Delhi, Oct.7 (ANI): India on Thursday maintained its second position standing in the XIXth Commonwealth Games with 34 medals. The current leaders are Australia with 70 medals. England is in third position with 46 medals at the time of the filing of this report.

On Thursday, India earned ten more medals. It now has 14 Gold, 11 Silver and 9 Bronze medals.

Australia has 33 Gold, 19 Silver and 18 Bronze medals. England has 12 Gold, 23 Silver and 11 Bronze medals.

Ace Indian shuttler and World No.3 player Saina Nehwal and other Indian shuttlers are battling England in the semi-finals after defeating Canada in the quarter-finals this afternoon. India is hopeful about making it to the finals of the event.

The golden streak struck over the last two days was kept going by pistol shooter Gurpreet Singh who joined hands with Vijay Kumar and Omkar Singh respectively to snatch the gold medals in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol (Pairs) and 10m Air Pistol (Pairs).

Haryana's Geeta gave India their third gold of the day on the first day of women's wrestling that made its debut, by comprehensively winning the 55kg freestyle event.

India scooped up a bagful of three silver and four bronze medals to firmly remain in second spot behind leaders Australia with a tally of 14-11-9 while the Kangaroos jumped further ahead of the rest with a haul of 29-16-14.

The shooting gold medals provided by the men's pistol wielders took the country's overall gold tally from the Dr Karni Singh range to 6, showing how much the marksmen and women have contributed in keeping India's flag flying high.

Grappler Geeta trounced her rival Emily Bensted of Australia in the 55 kg category final.

She entered the gold medal round by defeating Lovina Odohi Edward of Nigeria, but her teammate - 63kg grappler Suman Kundu - lost in the semi-finals.

Men's double trap shooting ace Ronjon Sondhi got a silver medal along with the men's archery compound team and women's 48kg freestyle grappler Nirmala Devi.

The four bronze medals came in archery (women's team compound event), woman grappler Suman Kundu (63kg) 77kg weightlifter Sudhir Kumar and Ashish Kumar, a surprise medallist in men's gymnastics (floor exercise).

India struck gold early on the fourth day when marksmen Vijay Kumar and Gurpreet Singh clinched the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol (pairs) event before the men's and women's archery teams added to the medal tally with a silver and a bronze.

Kumar and Gurpreet together fired 1162 to bag the top prize in the pistol event ahead of Malaysia's Amir Hasan Hasli Izwan and Adzha Hafiz (1142) and Australian bronze medal winning duo of Bruce Quick and David Chapman (1125).

The Indian men's compound team lost to England by two points (229-231) in the gold medal-deciding match while the women defeated Malaysia by four points (223-219) in the corresponding event's bronze play-off tie.

These were the first two medals for the country from the archery range.

The Indian men's archery outfit gave a hard time to their English rivals before losing narrowly in the final.

The trio of Bheigyabati Chanu, Jhano Hansdah and Gagandeep won the bronze in the women's compound archery team event beating Malaysia 223-219 in a thrilling third place play-off tie that went to the wire.

Needing five points to clinch the bronze with one arrow left, Indians won the thrilling clash between the two Asian nations Hansdah showed nerves of steel to calmly fire an 8-pointer to haul in the country's first medal in the bow and arrow competition.

The Indians went out of contention for the gold by losing to Canada in the semi-finals while Malaysia failed to make the grade after losing to England in the other semi-final.

But world champion Tejaswini Sawant and Lajja Gauswami fell by the wayside in the 50m rifle 3 position singles.

Indian challenge continued to remain strong in table tennis, tennis and badminton.

The women's team made it to the final of the table tennis championship by defeating England in the semi finals.

Men's tennis top seed Somdev Devvarman inched closer to a medal in the singles with a 6-3 6-4 win over sixth seed Rubin Statham of New Zealand.

Ace Indian shuttlers Chetan Anand and Saina Nehwal notched up contrasting wins as India thrashed Canada 3-0 to set up a semifinal clash with England in the mixed badminton team event.

Mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju just took 19 minutes to make short work of NG Toby and Gao Grace 21-8 21-12 in the first match of the day to give India a 1-0 lead.

Saina then sealed the issue in India's favour with a 21-16 21-13 victory over her one-time doubles partner Anna Rice in the women's singles.

But in men's hockey India went down tamely 2-5 against world and Games champions Australia.(ANI)

Source: Web Search

Shot putters disappoint, Mandeep Kaur qualify for 400m final

Thu, Oct 07 10 10:07 PM

Philem Dipak Singh New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) India''s medal hopes in shot put Om Prakash and Saurabh Vij fizzled out after finishing fifth and sixth respectively on the second day of the track and field competitions of the Commonwealth Games here today. Om Prakash threw the shot put to 19.51m, well below his personal best of 20.02m and season''s best of 19.99m. Vij, who was permitted to take part in the Games at the eleventh hour after his provisional suspension for flunking a dope test was lifted by NADA, was worse as he could clear only 18.60m against his personal and season''s best of 20.65m. Canadian Dylan Armstrong, the favourite to win the event and season''s leader among Commonwealth shot putters, won easily with a throw of 21.02m, though it was lower than his personal as well as season''s best of 21.58m. Jamaica''s Scott Dorian won the silver with a throw of 20.19m while Australia''s Dale Stevenson bagged the bronze with a personal best effort of 19.99m. As expected, no Indian could qualify for the 100m finals, despite a depleted field resulting from pull-outs of a slew of stars, including Usain Bolt. The two Indians in women''s 100m sprint, H M Jyothi and Geetha Satti failed to qualify for the finals as they finished sixth and seventh in their respective semifinals heats. Jyothi clocked 11.86secs, much below her personal best of 11.60secs and season''s best of 11.65secs, while Geetha clocked 11.82secs, a tad below her personal best of 11.80secs which she ran earlier this year in May. In men''s 100m sprint also, Mohd Abdul Najeeb Qureshi failed to qualify for the finals after finishing seventh in his semifinals heat, clocking 10.40secs. Qureshi had equalled Anil Kumar''s five-year old record of 10.30secs in the round two heats yesterday. In women''s hammer throw finals, India''s Hardeep Kaur finished 10th out of 12 competitors by clearing 59.96m. Canadian Sultana Friziel won the gold with a Games record effort of 68.57m while Carys Parry (64.93m) of Wales and Englishman Zoe Derham (64.04m) won the silver and bronze respectively. Mandeep Kaur was the only saving grace for the hosts as she qualified for the women''s 400m finals clocking 52.60secs in a semifinals heat. She will though start as the worst timer in the finals. Team-mate Manjeet Kaur failed to qualify despite finishing third in one of the heats at 53.04secs.

Source: Published>

Pleasant weather attract players to international area

Thu, Oct 07 10 09:51 PM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Athletes, boosted by the pleasant weather, today swarmed the international area inside the Commonwealth Games Village here on the fifth day of the ongoing mega event. Around 60-70 odd athletes were practicing at the training ground unlike other days when only a few athletes brave the hot weather and come out to train. "The sun is pleasant. It is good to practice and probably I will spend some more time exercising," said Jacques, an athlete from the Isle of Man. Players and team officials staying in the Village visited the international zone, an especially earmarked area that houses recreational facilities like cafes, merchandise stores, bars, restaurants, discotheques and games parlours, while many others went out for sightseeing. "It''s good. The sun is not harsh. I am going to buy something from the handicraft showroom here," said Catherine, a CGF official from Seychelles. The athletes also seen interacting with players from other nations. The area around amphitheater here, which usually remains deserted during the daytime witnessed a number of footfalls. The Games Village residents were in a relative relaxed mood as they were taking a stroll around the open space and pavements inside the international zone, The gate no 2 of the village, which acts as a temporary work area for the electronic media saw a number of athletes giving interviews while the media centre was abuzz with the activities as journalists were busy filing stories. The cops were seen in action and sniffers were checking every nook and corner of the Village in search of suspicious objects and to keep any untoward incident at bay. Over one lakh security personnel, including central paramilitary forces and specialised commandos have been deployed at all the competition and training venues to ensure adequate security for the Games. The 12-day long event featuring 17 sport disciplines like archery, cycling, gymnastics, swimming, boxing and shooting will conclude on October 14. Nearly 7,000 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations are participating in the event being hosted by India for the first time.

Source: Published>

CWG hockey: India lost the plot early in the game

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 09:47 PM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) India were shown their place in international hockey when Australia beat them 5-2 in a preliminary men's hockey league match of the Commonwealth Games here Thursday in front of a partisan capacity-crowd at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

The crowd had begun to gather hours before the game and had plenty to cheer when Canada fought like their lives depended on the outcome to force a 1-1 draw with England in pool B.

The Indians flattered to deceive tonight and at the end of 70 minutes, looked a spent force while the Aussies appeared fit enough to last another full game.

'We need to get to their fitness levels,' said Indian captain Rajpal Singh, but the difference between the two sides was far too obvious even before he made his way in for a Media interaction.

India virtually lost the match in the opening minutes when two elementary errors in the defence saw Des Abbott and Trent Mitton putting Australia 2-0 ahead.

Although India came back strongly to pull one back through Dharmavir Singh's brilliant effort from a counter-attack, the Australians hit the hosts hard in the second session when Eddie Ockenden, Liam de Young and Glenn Turner delivered the killer blows in a 10-minute spell.

In the last minute, Sandeep Singh came good with the sixth penalty corner, but by then, the match was history.

'The first two goals were gifts,' said India team coach Jose Brasa who also admitted that his team was among the worst at penalty corner conversion as five of the six awarded were wasted.

India's inability to innovate was to Australia's advantage in the second-half. Aussie coach Richard Charlesworth said as much when he pointed out: 'You can't win matches playing the same way as the Indians did. In the first-half we gave them too much space.'

The home team neither tried to slow down the pace in a bid to throw the Aussies out of rhythm nor they did anything different at all in the second half. Ultimately, the lack of fitness became increasingly apparent.

It was the fitness and some outstanding goalkeeping by Antoni Kindler that kept Canada afloat against England in a highly physical encounter that could have gone either way.

Canada struck in the 13th minute through Iain Smythe and England caught up in the 50th when Simon Mantell found the boards.

For much of the game, England controlled the pace and exchanges, but came up against Kindler who was simply unbeatable today. 'You don't see such goalkeeping every day,' said England coach Jason Lee.

England have four points from two games while for Canada, it was their first point from two outings, having lost their opening match.

Source: Web Search

CWG athletics: Australian Sally wins a controversial women's 100m

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 09:37 PM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) The showpiece women's 100m sprint of the Commonwealth Games saw some controversy as Australian Sally Pearson survived a false start to win the race here Thursday. Jamaican Lerone Ephraime Clarke won the men's 100m event.

Sally clocked 11.28 seconds to win the gold medal while Nigerian Osayemi Oludamola bagged the silver with 11.32 secs. The bronze went to St Vincent and Grenadines' Natasha Mayers, who clocked 11.37 secs.

It looked as if Sally headed out after a false start, but officials gave the red card to England's Laura Turner.

Turner was allowed to run the race after she remonstrated with the officials but she finished last.

Sally became the first Australian to win the 100m race in Commonwealth Games since Raelene Boyle in 1974

In the men's 100m, Clarke clocked 10.12 seconds and finished ahead of England's Mark Anthony Lewis Francis (10.20 secs) and Trinidad and Tobago's Aaron Armstrong (10.24 secs).

Source: Web Search

France sponsors to base payouts on results and behaviour

Thu, Oct 07 10 09:17 PM

France's 12 sponsors will base their contributions over the next four years on results and behaviour following the team's embarrassing World Cup campaign.

A 10 to 15 percent bonus could be awarded to the French Football Federation (FFF) if results and behaviour are deemed good enough. However, if they are not there may be a 10 to 15 percent reduction in contributions.

"There will be bonuses and penalties based on results and image," FFF vice-president Noel Le Graet told reporters on Thursday ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifier against Romania in Paris on Saturday.

Several sponsors distanced themselves from France when they were knocked out in the first round of the World Cup in South Africa in June.

Striker Nicolas Anelka was also kicked out of the squad for insulting then-coach Raymond Domenech, triggering a strike among the players.

Credit Agricole suspended an advertising campaign that pictured some players, including Franck Ribery, as angels, while GDF Suez said it would reassess its partnership with Les Bleus.

FFF president Fernand Duchaussoy said, though, that the federation had now "restored a relationship of confidence with our partners".

Source: Published>

Pak team for SAfrica series announced; no captain named

Thu, Oct 07 10 09:07 PM

Karachi, Oct 7 (PTI) A 15-member Pakistan cricket team, sans captain, was announced today for the upcoming series against South Africa starting later this month. Former Test skipper Intikhab Alam has been named as the manager of the squad for ODIs and T20 matches against the Proteas in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Shahid Afridi, who looked favourite to lead the team, was named in the squad, but has not been given the charge as captain, while batsman Misbah-ul-Haq makes a comeback as the PCB chose him over out of favour Younis Khan. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal was also kept off the squad as he is recovering from an appendicitis operation. The announcement was made in a press conference by PCB media manager Nadeem Sarwar, in absence of selectors and senior board officials. Meanwhile, former cricketer Intikhab Alam returned as the manager of the team for this tour after Yawar Saeed stepped down as manager after a turbulent England tour, which saw a dismal performance by the team and spot-fixing allegation against three players -- Salman Butt, Muhammad Aamir and Muhammad Asif. "Right now his immediate task is to manage the team in the South Africa series and the board will decide later on for other series," he said, without giving any explanation on why the squad does not have any captain. Earlier, Alam became coach in October 2008 and helped the Pakistan to win T20 World Cup in England, but after a shambolic tour to Australia early this year, he was replaced by Waqar Younis. The squad includes: Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar, Tanvir Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider. PTI CORR KAB SHN

Source: Published>

India fades away 2-5 in front of Australia''s power

Thu, Oct 07 10 08:57 PM

Saumojyoti S Choudhury New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Australia proved too hot for India to handle as the world champions spanked the home team 5-2 in a Pool A match and inched a step closer towards the semifinals of the men''s hockey event in the Commonwealth Games here today. Desmond Abbott (2nd minute), Trent Mitton (6th), Eddie Ockenden (48th), Liam de Young (54th) and Glenn Turner (58th) scored for Australia while Dharamvir Singh (12th) and Sandeep Singh were India''s goal-getters. The match was a golden opportunity for Australia to avenge their World Cup defeat, where they lost by identical margin earlier this year at the same venue, but once against the home team disappointed their fans. Despite conceding two early goals, India displayed some spark in the opening half but the Australians showed why they are the world beaters as they completely outplayed the Rajpal Singh-led side in the second period. Even though the Indians were impressive in the midfield in the opening half, their defence wore a sorry look throughout the match, which eventually turned out to be the difference between the two sides. Dhanjay Mahadik was a blunder at the back while Tushar Khandkar failed to impress upfront. Custodian Bharat Chetri too had a bad day in office as he failed to deny the Australians when it mattered most. The Indians were also undone by poor penalty corner conversion as they found the net only once out of the six chances they earned in the match. Contrary to scoreline, India dominated the first half barring the first 10 minutes but poor finishing let them down. As expected, the encounter started at a brisk pace with Australia coming out on top in the initial exchanges, while India took some time to get their footing in the match. The backline continued to haunt the Indians in yet another tournament as Australia took a 2-0 lead within the first six minutes of the match, courtesy some sloppy work by the defenders. .

Source: Published>

Enforcement Directorate issues 'Blue Alert' for Lalit Modi

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 08:47 PM

New Delhi, Oct. 7 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has reportedly issued a 'Blue Alert' with the help of Interpol for former Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner Lalit Modi over substantial Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations amounting to hundred of crores.

A Blue Alert is issued by Interpol to establish the whereabouts and activities of a suspect person if he or she is traveling abroad.

Under the Blue Alert, Modi cannot travel outside the country, and if he does, he can be detained at any public port of embarkation and disembarkation.

After detainment at any International Check Post (ICP), the authorities of that country have to get in touch with Enforcement Directorate officials and hand Modi over for further investigations.

The Blue Alert has been issued after Modi repeatedly failed to make himself available for interrogation. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Sreesanth should focus on his strength: Shastri

Thu, Oct 07 10 08:38 PM

Kochi, Oct 7 (PTI) Temperamental pacer Sreesanth today received a word of advice from former captain Ravi Shastri who said the speedster should focus on his strength and not be intimidated by anyone including the Australians. "Focus on your strength, be your self and do not be intimidated by anyone least of of all by Australians ", Shastri advised Sreesanth, during a function here to mark the 60th year of the formation of the Kerala Cricket Association. "With Ishant Sharma, being ruled out of the second test against Australia at Bangalore starting on Oct 9 Sreesanth could find a place in the playing eleven," he said. Stressing the need to develop infrastructure in Kerala schools he said, "Focus on the districts. .. They are more passionate about cricket and dream about the sport and above all have few distractions. People in the metros are soft." Shastri termed India''s victory in the Mohali Test was one of the greatest Test matches and said it was a great endorsement for Test cricket. He lauded the performances of both V V S Laxman and Ishant Sharma. "This was the best performance of Indian Test Cricket. It shows the self-belief and character of the team, for more than 12 months we held the position of number one in test match ranking," he said. Ishant had a very good performance and Sreesanth should take heart from that and perform well if he gets selected to the playing eleven, the former Indian captain said. Asked if he was hopeful of the Kochi IPL team becoming a reality this season despite being dogged by controversies, he said, "We will get to know about it in 10 days. Showcause notices have been issued to three teams, including Kochi." "I do not want to speculate on it as it will be foolish on my part", he said.

Source: Published>

Indian shooters continue to dominate Karni range

Thu, Oct 07 10 08:22 PM

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) It was business as usual for Indian shooters in the 19th Commonwealth Games as they added two more gold medals and a silver to their kitty at the Dr Karni Singh Range here today. Vijay Kumar and Gurpreet Singh opened the day''s account by bagging the yellow metal in men''s 25-metre rapid fire pistol pairs event, while Ronjan Sodhi ended it on high by winning a silver in men''s double trap. Gurpreet then combined with Omkar Singh to clinch one more gold for the hosts in 10-metre air pistol, late in the evening. There, was, however, disappointment for women shooters Tejaswini Sawant and Lajja Gausami as none of them managed to win a medal in 50-metre rifle 3 position. Winner of the last World Cup final in Turkey and a world record holder in double trap, Sodhi prevailed in a pulsating three-way shoot-off to clinch silver after England''s Steven Walton bagged the gold medal scoring 190 points. The event went into shoot-off after Sodhi, Asher Noria and Isle of Man''s Timothy James Kneale were locked at 186 points after the regulation round. In the three-way shoot-off, a fired-up Sodhi clinched the issue with a clinical performance after both Kneale and Noria missed their targets. There was still hope for Noria to aim for bronze in the two-way shoot-off, but pressure, probably, did him in. Fresh from his exploits at the Junior World Championship in Munich, Noria, in a high-pressure two-way shoot-off with Kneale, fumbled to give the island nation its first medal in shooting. .

Source: Published>

No award can scale Sachin''s greatness: Kapil

Thu, Oct 07 10 08:17 PM

Kolkata, Oct 7 (PTI) India''s only World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev today said no award could actually determine the greatness of Sachin Tendulkar, who has been named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year. Reacting to the batting maestro''s winning his first ICC award yesterday, the legendary all-rounder said: "He doesn''t require any award. Sachin is so great that no award can measure him." While, hailing India''s thrilling one-wicket win over Australia in the first of the two-match series, Kapil said "Mohali Test once again brought back those good old memories," recalling his team''s win in Melbourne Test in 1981 and the tie Test in Chennai in 1986. The man, who took 434 Test wickets, also advised India to play more longer version cricket. "Playing 50 T20 matches and 50 ODIs is not good. The team must play a good amount of Test cricket," he told reporters during a promotional event here. Asked to compare between India''s Test victory in Mohali and the success at the ongoing Commonwealth Games, he said: "Every victory is important. But at the same time, you can''t compare it with other sporting events. Hockey, athletics and cricket are different games and it would be foolish to compare." Meanwhile, the former ICL chief Kapil denied any rift with the IPL. "There is no rift in cricket. There wasn''t any rift between IPL and ICL (Indian Cricket League). To me everything is the same. I''m only concerned with the development of the game." PTI TAP

Source: Published>

Another bagful of medals keeps India in second spot

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 08:07 PM

India scooped up a bagful of three gold and as many silver and bronze medals to firmly remain in second spot behind leaders Australia in the Commonwealth Games on Thursday.

The three gold medals were garnered by the 25m and 10m men pistoliers with Gurpreet Singh being the common factor in both these pairs while Geeta grabbed the first gold in women's wrestling.

Gurpreet joined hands with Vijay Kumar to rake in the gold medal in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol (pairs) event before combining well with Omkar Singh to clinch the 10m air pistol (pairs) title to become a double gold winner.

The shooting gold medals provided by the men's pistol wielders took the country's overall gold tally from the Dr Karni Singh range to 14, showing how much the marksmen and women have contributed in keeping India's flag flying high.

Grappler Geeta trounced her rival Emily Bensted of Australia in the 55 kg category final. She entered the gold medal round by defeating Lovina Odohi Edward of Nigeria, but her teammate - 63kg grappler Suman Kundu - lost in the semi-finals.

Men's double trap shooting ace Ronjon Sondhi got a silver medal along with the men's archery compound team and women's 48kg freestyle grappler Nirmala Devi.

The three bronze medals came in archery (women's team compound event), 77kg weightlifter Sudhir Kumar and Ashish Kumar, in men's gymnastics (floor exercise).

The day's haul of eight medals boosted India's overall tally to 14-11-8 and on course to their pre-Games target of achieving the runner-up spot behind overwhelming favourites Australia.

Australia were way ahead of the rest with 27-16-14 while England lagged behind in third place (8-15-10).

India struck gold early on the fourth day when marksmen Vijay Kumar and Gurpreet Singh clinched the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol (pairs) event before the men's and women's archery teams added to the medal tally with a silver and a bronze.

Kumar and Gurpreet together fired 1162 to bag the top prize in the pistol event ahead of Malaysia's Amir Hasan Hasli Izwan and Adzha Hafiz (1142) and Australian bronze medal winning duo of Bruce Quick and David Chapman (1125).

The Indian men's compound team lost to England by two points (229-231) in the gold medal-deciding match while the women defeated Malaysia by four points (223-219) in the corresponding event's bronze play-off tie. These were the first two medals for the country from the archery range.

The other two bronze medals were claimed by men's 77kg weightlifter Sudhir Kumar and gymnast Ashish Kumar, an unexpected one, in the floor exercise.

The Indian men's archery outfit gave a hard time to their English rivals before losing narrowly in the final.

The trio of Bheigyabati Chanu, Jhano Hansdah and Gagandeep won the bronze in the women's compound archery team event beating Malaysia 223-219 in a thrilling third place play-off tie that went to the wire.

Needing five points to clinch the bronze with one arrow left, Indians won the thrilling clash between the two Asian nations Hansdah showed nerves of steel to calmly fire an 8-pointer to haul in the country's first medal in the bow and arrow competition.

The Indians went out of contention for the gold by losing to Canada in the semi-finals while Malaysia failed to make the grade after losing to England in the other semi-final.

But world champion Tejaswini Sawant and Lajja Gauswami fell by the wayside in the 50m rifle 3 position singles.

"We are happy with our performance. All of us held our nerves in pressure situation to clinch the bronze," Chanu said after clinching the team bronze.

Indian challenge continued to remain strong in table tennis, tennis and badminton.

The women's team made it to the final of the table tennis championship by defeating England in the semi finals.

Men's tennis top seed Somdev Devvarman inched closer to a medal in the singles with a 6-3 6-4 win over sixth seed Rubin Statham of New Zealand.

Ace Indian shuttlers Chetan Anand and Saina Nehwal notched up contrasting wins as India thrashed Canada 3-0 to set up a semifinal clash with England in the mixed badminton team event.

Mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju just took 19 minutes to make short work of NG Toby and Gao Grace 21-8 21-12 in the first match of the day to give India a 1-0 lead.

Saina then sealed the issue in India's favour with a 21-16 21-13 victory over her one-time doubles partner Anna Rice in the women's singles.

But glitches continued to dog the Games with the organisers confronted with the problem of several swimmers, mostly from the England contingent, complaining of pool-related sickness.

With reports emerging that the Games swimming pool may be contaminated, leading to an increase of athletes in the sick bay, the organisers were Thursday left to do some emergency fire-fighting at the customary morning press conference.

Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael Fennell and Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi promised an inquiry and a solution by Thursday.

"We are ensuring that the water quality is tested. We don't have specific reports about illnes. We must find this out immediately. we have to deal with it. It needs some urgency," he said, while responding to a query whether they would postpone the day's finals.

Source: Web Search

No award can scale Sachin''s greatness: Kapil

Thu, Oct 07 10 07:57 PM

Kolkata, Oct 7 (PTI) India''s only World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev today said no award could actually determine the greatness of Sachin Tendulkar, who has been named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year. Reacting to the batting maestro''s winning his first ICC award yesterday, the legendary all-rounder said: "He doesn''t require any award. Sachin is so great that no award can measure him." While, hailing India''s thrilling one-wicket win over Australia in the first of the two-match series, Kapil said "Mohali Test once again brought back those good old memories," recalling his team''s win in Melbourne Test in 1981 and the tie Test in Chennai in 1986. The man, who took 434 Test wickets, also advised India to play more longer version cricket. "Playing 50 T20 matches and 50 ODIs is not good. The team must play a good amount of Test cricket," he told reporters during a promotional event here. Asked to compare between India''s Test victory in Mohali and the success at the ongoing Commonwealth Games, he said: "Every victory is important. But at the same time, you can''t compare it with other sporting events. Hockey, athletics and cricket are different games and it would be foolish to compare." Meanwhile, the former ICL chief Kapil denied any rift with the IPL. "There is no rift in cricket. There wasn''t any rift between IPL and ICL (Indian Cricket League). To me everything is the same. I''m only concerned with the development of the game." PTI TAP

Source: Published>

Punjabi univ announces Rs two lakh cash award for Gagandeep

Thu, Oct 07 10 07:52 PM

Patiala, Oct 7 (PTI) The Punjabi University, Patiala has announced a cash award of Rs two lakh to Gagandeep Kaur, who won a bronze medal in the women''s compound team event at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi today. The vice-chancellor of the university, Jaspal Singh said a special function would be organised to honour Gagandeep, a student of the varsity, for her outstanding feat. Singh said the remarkable achievement of Gagandeep would inspire others on the campus to bring more laurels to the university. "It will also inspire and encourage other students of the University to follow in the footsteps of Gagandip," he said. The Indian trio of Bheigyabati Chanu, Jhano Hansdah and Gagandeep won bronze in the women''s compound archery event beating Malaysia 223-219 in the third place play-off tie. PTI cor SUN DKS SHN

Source: Published>

SPORT-RACE

Thu, Oct 07 10 07:47 PM

Mysore, Oct 7 (PTI) Following are the results of 15th races held here today. 1st race: Chirapunji Plate - 1200 M. Jaanvi (F Sirajuddin) 61.5 Ryan Marshall first Stinger 56.5 S Mubarak second Silver Sceptre 62 R Pradeep third Zooming 58.5 A Qureshi fourth All ran Won By : 9 Ls, 1-3/4 Ls and 5-3/4 Ls Time : One minute, 15.64 seconds Tote : Rs 20 for win. Rs 13, Rs 18 and Rs 109 for places Favourite : Jaanvi Winner Trained by : Sirajuddin Forecast: Rs 44 Quinella : Rs 43 SHP : Rs 57 Trin : 70 pct Rs 1801 30 pct Rs 803. .

Source: Published>

Geeta gives India its first gold from womens wrestling

Thu, Oct 07 10 07:37 PM

Kushan Sarkar New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Haryana''s Geeta won India''s first ever gold medal in womens wrestling in the 55kg freestyle category at the Commonwealth Games here today. The hosts also got a silver in the 48 kg freestyle category in which Nirmala Devi lost her title round bout against Canadian opponent Carol Huynh. Suman Kundu got India its third medal from the competition winning her bronze medal play-off in the 63 kg category. Geeta, from Bhiwani, who had earlier won gold in the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship, literally toyed with her Australian opponent Emily Bensted by pinning her down in the second round with still a few seconds left for the bout to end. Geeta was enjoying a whopping lead of 8-1. The Indian grappler controlled the proceedings right from the start and never let her opponent make a comeback. She repeatedly got points employing the flipper tactic, catching the opponents leg and trying to pin her down. "I never expected the finals to be such a one-sided affair. I believe my semi-final bout against the Nigerian girl (Lovina Odohi Edwards) was a tougher battle. Comparatively the final was an easy one," an ecstatic Geeta said after her convincing victory. "I was always confident of doing well having won the gold in the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship earlier this year," she told mediapersons. The girl, who hails from that part of India which has produced champion boxers like Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar, informed that her father Mahavir Singh is her coach and she also dedicated her gold winning performance to her father. "My father is a former wrestler. I have learnt the tricks of the game from him. I owe my success to my father," she said. Even Sam Parker, the Aussie wrestling coach was all praise for Indian girl. "She (Geeta) was very good and thats why she won the bout. But I am happy about my ward (Emily)s performance," Parker said.

Source: Published>

Confusion at Archery venue

Thu, Oct 07 10 07:28 PM

Tapan Mohanta New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) In a confusion of sorts at the archery venue of the Yamuna Sports Complex the Australian''s countdown clock was mistakenly started when in fact the South Africans were shooting during the men''s compound bronze play-off. Play was stopped for almost 10 minutes while officials attempted to resolve the issue as that "affected" performance of the Aussies who lost by a narrow two points. Robert Timms, Clint Freeman and Pat Coghlan were defeated 232 points to 234 by Nico Benade, Septimus Holtzhaus Cilliers and Jacobus Ignatius de Wet. But the Aussies coach Simone Fairweather told PTI, "No there is no problem. We will not be protesting." Coghlan, however, appeared unhappy and said: "I''ve trained for four years for this and for incompetence to affect my result, I''m not very happy." "If we actually lodge an appeal we won''t lose, we''d actually get a bronze. With the clock not running, the first arrow that they shot becomes a miss. "It''s not the way you really want to win but in reality if the appeal got lodged I can''t see us losing," said the 36-year-old veteran. Coghlan however said the timing glitch was not India''s fault and it was a New Zealander who was the director of shooting. "It''s nothing to do with India." PTI TAP ANS

Source: Published>

Weightlifter Geeta wins 14th Gold for India in free style at C'wealth Games

Published>Thu, Oct 07 10 07:17 PM

New Delhi, Oct.7 (ANI): Indian woman weightlifter Geeta won 14th Gold on Thursday evening in the 55 kilogram category of the free style wrestling, as India continued its winning spree.

Earlier, the Indian women archers beat their Malaysian counterparts 223-219 to win bronze medal in the compound section, at the Commonwealth Games, today. This is India's sixth bronze medal.

In the 63kg category, Suman Kundu of India lost her semi-final bout.

With its total 30 medals--14 Gold, 10 Silver and 6 Bronze medals, India remained on the second position in the medals tally of the XIX Commonwealth Games being held in Delhi. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Indian archers announce arrival on world stage

Thu, Oct 07 10 07:07 PM

Tapan Mohanta New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) In an unprecedented success, the Indian compound archers today announced their arrival on the big stage, claiming a silver and a bronze in the men''s and women''s team events respectively in the 19th Commonwealth Games at Yamuna Sports Complex here today. Shedding their tag as ''under-achievers'', the men''s trio of Jignas Chittibomma, Chinna Raju and Ritul Chatterjee claimed their first ever medal at any international level when they lost to the Englishmen 229-231 to settle for the silver. The women''s trio of Bheigyabati Chanu, Jhano Hansdah and Gagandeep Kaur beat 223-219 in the bronze play-off as the Archery Association of India (AAI) secretary general Paresh Nath Mukherjee said the medals had come as a "bonus". "We never expected to get anything in compound section, as our main strength has been in the recurve section. But our effort and the archers'' hardwork has paid fruits," Mukherjee said. It was the youngest member of the side, 16-year-old Jignas who made all the difference for the Indians in pulling off a stunning 226-224 win over the South Africans in the semi-finals. In all-praise of the Andhra archer, who trains at the Army Sports Institute at Ghorpuri in Pune, India compound coach Harendra Singh said "All credit goes to Jignas. He instilled the confidence in the Indians shooting in 79s and 80s. "But the Englishmen opened up a five-point lead which was difficult to match. We covered up but only by three points. Neverthless, this silver medal, first time in the history of compound archers, will give them a new found confidence. "Now we will also be recognised alongside our big brothers (the recurve archers)," Singh told PTI. In the final, the trio notched their best ever score of 229 but the mighty Englishmen trio of Duncan Edward Craig Busby, Liam Grimwood and Christopher White were too good to win the gold by a slender three points. South Africa beat Australia 234-232 in the men''s compound bronze playoff. Earlier, the women''s team, who had earlier seen success at international level bagging World Cup silver and bronze medals at various stages, also dished out an unexpected performance with a fine show by Jhano Hansdah to earn India the first archery medal in Commonwealth Games. The bronze by the women''s compound was India''s first ever in Games archery which made a return after making a debut in the Brisbane edition in 1982. In the bronze playoff, it was an exciting affair till the last three arrows were to be shot. Indians were 195 with three rounds while Malaysia finished at 219. When the last arrow was to be shot by Hansdah, India needed five points and she shot eight to give India its first medal of the competition. Hansdah told PTI that they had lost all hopes after the disappointing elimination in the individual rounds. "Lekin haar ke hi log sikhte hain (Win comes only after realising a loss). We all were determined after the loss in the individuals. We had a great day yesterday when we notched our best ever 227." The action now will shift to India''s gold medal hopes when the recurve teams fight it out in the men''s and women''s sections tomorrow. Women''s trio of Nicky Hunt, Nichola Simpson and Danielle Brown shot 232, just one point off the world record to win England the second gold. Canada shot 229 for the silver in women''s compound. PTI TAP ANS

Source: Published>